To Like A Character Means To Accurately Understand Their Flaws. Modern Au Nie Huaisang Would Use Chat

To like a character means to accurately understand their flaws. Modern au Nie Huaisang would use chat gpt to write his essays for him, and I don't have to like that fact to know that it's true.

A little thing I enjoy is that Dongfang Qingcang is smaller than most of the rest of the men in the cast. Not only is he shorter, but he's also not as broad. By no means is Dylan short (he's decently tall), but he's just not as big a dude.

Cangyan Sea Boy Band pic, and everyone in the image is notably quite a bit larger than him with one exception.

ZLH is of course several inches taller than him, and he's broader too. DFQC is given a lot of clothes by the costume designers that make him look bigger. Notice the second robe in the first pic, whereas Xiao Run is only in one layer.

Comparison when they're both holding Xiao Lanhua just to show HOW MUCH bigger Changheng is.

And with Shangque! He's not wearing a second robe in this short, so you really got an idea of his actual frame size.

The one character he seems to be very close to size in is his brother, which makes sense!

I don't think they deliberately cast these actors based on my observations per se, but the idea of DFQC not being a big man, but being the most powerful in the three realms appeals to me. And it also appeals to me because he wears SO MUCH clothing, and it tickles my blorbo rotating brain to imagine him doing this partially because he knows he's not large, and he wants to be visually intimidating.

I especially think of that massive armor. He doesn't just wear it on the battlefield. He wears it in meetings with advisors and with the two kings. There is no reason for him to wear it there except presence. Yes, it could be ceremonial, but he's also in the throne room without it from time to time.

Even on the battlefield, no one else in the series has armor that huge, that cumbersome. I'm ignoring the impracticality of it because none of the armor in this show is practical, but I really like the idea that he chooses that armor not only because it's intimidating, but because it makes his (not very imposing on its own) figure look much bigger than it is.

Also remember that Dongfang Qingcang became Moon Supreme as the equivalent of an ELEVEN YEAR OLD? He no doubt had to make himself look stronger than he physically appeared at first.

In conclusion:

Yan Wushi is that you? 💜

villains are hard to design. making them ugly is dangerous, depending on what traits you choose to frame as monstrous or undesirable, you could very well end up saying something fatphobic, racist, anti-semitic, etc

but if you make a hot villain then people will get thirsty and demand redemptions and refuse to acknowledge their evil actions, no matter how despicable

After shoving Hansel in the oven, the witch turns to Gretel - who is currently fending the witch off with a gingerbread chair - and says:

“I can’t believe you thought a trail of breadcrumbs would save you. I mean, honestly, this is a forest! It’s full of animals. Honestly, the very idea that a dumb shit like you thought you could get the better of me is absurd.”

Gretel hits her in the face with said chair. To be fair to the witch, she takes the chairshot like a champ.

“Ow!”

“Did you know,” says Gretel, “that crows are capable of facial recognition?”

“Eh?” Says the witch, clambering to her feet and pulling a candy cane sledgehammer off the wall. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Not only that,” Gretel continues, “but they can remember both friends and enemies. And they’ll often follow people they remember as friends.”

The two fence with their sugared weapons for a moment, before the witch knocks the chair out of Gretel’s hands.

“Enough with the bird facts! Honestly, this whole attempted escape has been utter clownshoes. Get in the fucking oven!”

She seizes Gretel by the collar. Gretel immediately sandbags, letting her whole body go limp. This eminently practical defense forces the witch to try and deadlift her. Which is hard, as the witch often skips leg day.

“For example,” Gretel says, as the witch struggles and grunts, “if you feed crows a lot of breadcrumbs, they’ll probably start to see you as a friend and follow you in the hope of more food.”

The witch stops. Outside, she hears the thunder of wings.

“They’ll even bring you shiny things they find as presents!” Says Gretel, as a corner of the gingerbread ceiling is suddenly cut away by a large crow with a knife in its mouth.

“Oh shitballs.” Says the witch, as the crows descend. “I hope you know this is a great unkindness.”

“Technically,” Says Gretel, “It’s a murder.”